MaynardJanKeymeulen writes: The wikireader device uses e-ink and promises 1 year of battery life using two AAA. The entire English Wikipedia is read from the included MicroSD card. Since it's from the same people who brought the (not that successfull) Openmoko Freerunner smartphone, they promise to release all source code.

ChristW writes: OpenMoko inc, of FreeRunner fame, proudly presents its new product: The WikiReader. It's a small form factor device that needs no internet connection to show Wikipedia articles. The articles are stored on an internal, removable uSD card. Needs 2 AAA batteries to run. The company claims that it can run up to a year on one set of batteries.

TheoGB writes: "According to the Wired article: 'The thing should not work. A gust of air should not be coming form this giant blue Froot Loop. But upon closer inspection, all that’s at work here is some clever engineering tricks. The unit is essentially one of Dyson’s vacuum cleaners working in reverse. The gray base station sucks up air and forces it through the circular blue thing that sits atop the rig. When the air jets through the front of the circle, it creates a suction behind and to the sides that draws more air through the loop and makes the fan more powerful. Dyson claims the Multiplier increases pressure15-fold and spews 118 gallons of air every minute.' Gallons? Get with the programme and use SI units! Oh well, still looks amazing."

Hanners1979 writes: "BBC News reports on the verdict of a long-running case in the US Supreme Court about the reach of US patent law, where Microsoft admitted to breaching an AT&T-held patent in the US, while refusing to accept liability for any breaches occuring outside of the country. The court upheld Microsoft's take on the case, which could well have intriguing ramifications both for patent law and any future cases against Microsoft themselves."